If you’ve ever wondered why Gollum never went after Bilbo Baggins for the “one ring that rules them all”, that lore has long been explained.

When it comes to influential novels, it doesn’t get more influential than J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings universe which has inspired countless franchises such as Star Wars with its tales of good vs evil and good triumphing evil once and for all.

The most recent The Lord of the Rings tale is The War of the Rohirrim from famed anime director Kenji Kamiyama, which tells the tale of Héra Hammerhand (played by Gaia Wise) and the Shieldmaidens.

In my review of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, I said it’s a captivating tale “brought to life with its heroic story, stunning animation, and excellent performances from top to bottom, and I can’t wait to watch it again and again.”

In The Hobbit, there’s a moment when Bilbo Baggins acquires The Ring by accident, completely unaware of its power but that power is soon realised the moment he puts it on his finger to escape Gollum in the troll caves.

During this moment, Gollum suspects that Bilbo has the ring and despite being invisible, he would have had an opportunity to claim back the ring, if he chose to. Even when Bilbo left the caves, Gollum is an expert tracker and he could have easily visited the Shire to claim back his precious.

“Why didn’t Gollum come to the Shire?” asked Redditor trucircle. Thankfully, SmokeLikeAnEgyptian was happy to share a valuable piece of information that answered the all-important question.

“Gollum left his cave in pursuit of Bilbo a few years after losing the Ring, but the trail was cold. He made his way to the edge of Mordor, where he met the monstrous spider Shelob and became her spy, worshipping her and bringing her food,” detailed the information from Wikipedia.

“He [Gollum] was eventually captured by Sauron’s forces and tortured, revealing to Sauron the names of “Baggins” and “The Shire”. His testimony alerted the Dark Lord of Mordor to the existence and significance of Hobbits in general and the Baggins family in particular.”

So, there you have it, that’s why Gollum never went to the Shire to claim back his ring.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is available to watch in cinemas now worldwide.